Using the modified frailty index as a predictor of complications in adults undergoing transforaminal interbody lumbar fusion

To correlate the operative characteristics and complications of transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) to patient frailty status for the first time in a multicenter study. Using the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement (ACS-NSQIP) database, all patients who underwent TLIF in 2015–2020 were filtered for their demographics, operative characteristics, and 30-day complication outcomes. Patients were stratified into 2 cohorts, low and high frailty, based on their modified frailty index 5 score. Univariate analysis was performed between the 2 cohorts for each collected variable, and multivariable analysis was performed to observe adjusted odds ratios (OR). The frail cohort experienced more unplanned readmission (4.3 vs 6.6 %, p